Gottfried p



(No Model.) I

1 G. F. KLAPPKY.

LIFE BOAT. No. 506,048. Patented flot. s, 1893.

form the sides of such a boat.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFF CE.

GOTTFRIED F. KLAFFKY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-BOAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part. of Letters Patent No. 566,048, dated October3, 1893.

Application filed April 20, 1893. Serial No. 471,146- (No model.)

To 01. whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GOTTFRIED F. KLAFFKY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Boats; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to thefigures of reference marked thereon, making a part of thisspecification.

My invention relates to ships and boats and its object is to improve andsimplify the construction of life-boats or other small crafts which maybe exposed to stormy seas. In all such vessels, it is desirable that thewater which may have been accidentally shipped, shall find ready meansof escape from the interior and for this purpose the means which havebeen heretofore provided do not fulfill their object in as successful amanner as may be wished. For example, it has been proposed to constructthe keel of the boat with downwardly projecting channels which end inopenings at right angles; or to leave spaces between water tightcompartments which At best, such devices are only operative in deepwater and where the bottom of the boat does not come in contact withsand or mud. When, however, the boat has to be launched from a mud orsand beach the said channels become clogged and if they are not cleared,when a sea is shipped the water will not pass out of the boat. Myimprovements obviate this difficulty by providing a large and easilycleared passage for the water which may have entered the boat, and atthe same time by means of my specific construction I am enabled tosecure strength and rigidity. My invention also comprises means forpreventing to a greater extent the liability of capsizing in a heavysea, and to this end I form the keel with a downwardly and outwardlyprojecting flare, which will permit the boat to take a greater hold onthe water. Furthermore, I

make use of sheet metal throughout in the construction of my boat andstrengthen it by means of flanged ribs which are wide at the top andnarrow at the bottom and which, together with the skin and sheathing,form air chambers larger at the top than at the bottom.

elevation.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a transverse section on theline :vx of Fig. 2, but on a larger scale, of a life-boat builtaccording to my improvement. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the boat. Fig. 3is a side Fig. 4 is apartial section on the line y-y of Fig. 1. Fig. 5is apartial section on the line zz of Fig. 1.

The two sides of the boat consist of the outer skin 10 formed of narrowstrips of sheet metal, which extend transversely of the length of theboat from the gunwale 11 to the keel 12, where they flare outwardly oneach side as shown in Fig. 1. In the same manner, the inner sheathing ofthe boat is also formed of narrow strips 13 of sheet metal,

which start from the angle pieces 14 near the gunwalell and join theouter skin 10 at the keel, forming compartments to contain air which arelarge at the top and narrow at the bottom.

For the purpose of giving the necessary strength to the structure, 3 Imake use of flanged ribs 15 which conform to the shape of the boat andthrough whose flanges 16 pass the bolts 17 which connect together theadjacent strips 10 of the outer skin and also the inner sheathing strips13, besides forming in themselves the sides of water-tightcompartmentsor air chambers. Each skin and sheathing strip overlaps theedge of the next one aft and the bolts 17 are passed through theoverlapping edges and the flanges of the Nb.

By consulting Fig. 1, it will be readily understood that each rib iswide at the top and narrows to a point at the lower end or near thekeel; this shape causes the outer skin 10 and the inner sheathing 13 toform air chambers which are wider at the top, and as the buoyancy of avessel constructed of metal depends on the air which takes the place ofthe water displaced, it is evident that the boat when capsized willright itself on account of the fact that the larger quantity of aircontained in the portions of the air compartments which are nearest tothe gunwale, will tend to rise to the surface of the water andnecessarily carries the boat with it to an upright position. 7

The keel of the boat is formed by bolting strips 10 to the ends of theinner sheathing strips 13 on each side, leaving a central passage 18which gives free opportunity to the water to flow in or out of the boat.To keep apart the two sides, I use bolts 19 which are shouldered at eachend for the purpose intended, and are riveted on the outside of thesides of the keel. For greater strength I add diagonal braces 20. Theends of the outer skin strips and inner sheathing strips form a doublethickness of metal and together make a more substantial keel than if theinner sheathing was carried down only part way. The flared ends 12 whichform the lower part of the keel, will hold the water as the boat isrocked from side to side and give it greater stability while avoiding toa certain extent its liability to capsize in a sea. The floor 21 is alsoan air-tight compartment of sheetmetal, and extends from stem to sternof the boat with, however, a space between its sides and the innersheathing, so that it the boat should ship water, the latter will notremain on the floor 21, but fiow down underneath.

By Fig. 1 it will be seen that under normal conditions the water line isjust under the floor, which will prevent the water remaining on top ofthe floor.

To connect the floor 21 to the sides, I make use of bolts 22, andspacing sleeves 23, but any other suitable means may be employed tosecure the floor in place with spaces between its edges and the sides ofthe boat.

The seats or thwarts 24 rest upon the angle pieces 14 and need nofurther description.

At the stem and stern of the boat the skin and sheathing are given theproper shape and are bolted together to solid stem and stern posts 25,26.

I claim as my invention 1. A boat having its sides formed with an outerskin and an inner sheathing separated by an air space, the skin andsheathing on each side being secured together at the bottom to form oneside of the keel, substantially as shown and described.

2. A boat having its sides formed with an outer skin and an innersheathing separated by an air space, the skin and sheathing on the skinand sheathing being secured together V at the bottom to form one side ofthe keel, substantially as shown and described.

4. In a life-boat, the combination of the two sides, each composed of anouter skin and an inner sheathing separated by an air space and securedtogether at the bottom to form one side of the keel, solid stem and stemposts to which said sides are secured, and means to secure said sidestogether at the bottom with a space between them, substantially as shownand described.

5. In a life-boat, the combination of the two sides, each composed of anouter skin and an inner sheathing separated by an air space and securedtogether at the bottom to form one side of the keel, means to securesaid sides together at the bottom with a space between them, a hollowfloor forming in itself an airtight compartment, and means to securesaid floor within the boat with spaces between its edges and the sidesof the boat, substantially as shown and described.

6. A boat having two hollow sides secured together, each side beingcomposed of an outer skin made up of transverse strips, an innersheathing also made up of transverse strips, an angle piece to whichboth skin and sheathin g are secured at the top, the skin and sheathingbeing secured together at the bottom, and flanged ribs to which theedges of adjacent strips of both skin and sheathing are secured,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GOTTFRIED F. KLAFFKY.

Witnesses:

A. N. J ESBERA, EDWARD F. OTTO.

